Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chen Ting-fei (陳亭妃) yesterday said that her words regarding the training regimen of Marine Corps recruits were taken out of context, adding that she intended to encourage more Taiwanese to join the military.
Chen raised the issue in a legislative committee meeting on Thursday by displaying photographs of a marine recruit with his nose bleeding while going through aquatic training at a naval base, along with other pictures of soldiers doing strenuous exercises.
She said that the images could discourage young people from signing up to the military and could cause anxiety among parents regarding the harsh treatment dished out by the military, adding that the photographs were released on Mother’s Day last weekend.
She said it was not the way to carry out military recruitment, adding that the photographs gave the impression that the marines had a more punishing training regimen than other branches, which could have a negative effect on the efforts to attract young people into the ranks of the all-volunteer force.
The photographs were taken during training of recruits for the Amphibious Reconnaissance and Patrol Unit, also known as the “frogmen” special forces branch of the Marine Corps, which is regarded as Taiwan’s equivalent to US Navy SEALs.
Deputy Ministry of National Defense Cheng De-mei (鄭德美) said that the photographs showed different training methods for recruits, adding that “the rigorous training is needed. If they do not receive proper training now and get a nosebleed, when they go into combat, they will have real bleeding.”
Chen’s words prompted criticism from some Internet users, who chided her for having no idea what military training is about and having no understanding of the tough conditions the recruits need to go through to become a member of the Amphibious Reconnaissance and Patrol Unit, and the kind of work they are expected to perform in the field.
Chen said her intention was to encourage recruits and military officials, adding that she wanted to help the Ministry of National Defense to use positive images and attributes to attract young people, rather than trying to scare them off.
“Some people have taken my words out of context and twisted their meaning at the committee meeting. Of course I know that some military units have to undergo harsh training. However, to attract new recruits to the all-volunteer force, there is no need to use photographs showing pain and bleeding from the ‘frogmen’ unit,” she said.
“I was trying to say that these photographs might create the misunderstanding that all new recruits have to undergo such rigorous training as the ‘frogmen’ unit. This might become a kind of negative promotion,” she added.
Chen said that she raised the issue to fight for better financial subsidies for the military, especially for elite forces requiring more rigorous physical training and burdened with heavier work duties than other branches, and to enable the nation to achieve the goal of an all-volunteer military force in the near future.
ANOTHER EMERGES: The CWA yesterday said this year’s fourth storm of the typhoon season had formed in the South China Sea, but was not expected to affect Taiwan Tropical Storm Gaemi has intensified slightly as it heads toward Taiwan, where it is expected to affect the country in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 8am yesterday, the 120km-radius storm was 800km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving at 9kph northwest, the agency said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued tonight at the earliest, it said, adding that the storm is projected to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday. Gaemi’s potential effect on Taiwan remains unclear, as that would depend on its direction, radius and intensity, forecasters said. Former Weather Forecast
As COVID-19 cases in Japan have been increasing for 10 consecutive weeks, people should get vaccinated before visiting the nation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said. The centers reported 773 hospitalizations and 124 deaths related to COVID-19 in Taiwan last week. CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) on Tuesday said the number of weekly COVID-19 cases reported in Japan has been increasing since mid-May and surpassed 55,000 cases from July 8 to July 14. The average number of COVID-19 patients at Japan’s healthcare facilities that week was also 1.39 times that of the week before and KP.3 is the dominant
The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) working group for Taiwan-related policies is likely to be upgraded to a committee-level body, a report commissioned by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said. As Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) is increasingly likely to upgrade the CCP’s Central Leading Group for Taiwan Affairs, Taiwanese authorities should prepare by researching Xi and the CCP, the report said. At the third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the CCP, which ended on Thursday last week, the party set a target of 2029 for the completion of some tasks, meaning that Xi is likely preparing to
US-CHINA TRADE DISPUTE: Despite Beijing’s offer of preferential treatment, the lure of China has dimmed as Taiwanese and international investors move out Japan and the US have become the favored destinations for Taiwanese graduates as China’s attraction has waned over the years, the Ministry of Labor said. According to the ministry’s latest income and employment advisory published this month, 3,215 Taiwanese university graduates from the class of 2020 went to Japan, surpassing for the first time the 2,881 graduates who went to China. A total of 2,300 graduates from the class of 2021 went to the US, compared with the 2,262 who went to China, the document showed. The trend continued for the class of 2023, of whom 1,460 went to Japan, 1,334 went to